Some of you are about to lose your free HBO Max perk

Streaming services have become one of those perks you don’t think about much when they’re bundled in with another subscription. That is, at least, until they’re taken away from you. If you’ve been enjoying free HBO Max through your DoorDash DashPass subscription, that free ride is about to end once your current billing cycle wraps up.

According to Cord Cutters News, the partnership that bundled the HBO Max Basic with Ads plan into the annual DashPass membership has concluded. That means anyone renewing or resubscribing to DashPass after their current annual term won’t see Max included as part of the package.

The collaboration was relatively short-lived. It launched in August 2024, giving DashPass Annual Plan members access to HBO Max’s ad-supported tier at no additional cost beyond the $96 annual DashPass fee. For subscribers who preferred to ditch the ads, there was also a discounted upgrade path to the Standard plan. As a partnership, the combination of delivered food and streaming content was a natural fit.

However, the benefit was always time-limited. New or eligible DoorDash subscribers had to activate the HBO Max offer by December 16. Those who did could keep streaming through the remainder of their annual DashPass billing period, even if that extends into 2026. Once that term expires, access to HBO Max ends automatically.

If you still want to keep watching after that point, you’ll need to subscribe directly through Max at the current standalone rates, which got a bit of a hike towards the end of last year. That timing and this latest news probably aren’t a complete coincidence. Given the value of the streaming service as part of the annual DashPass membership, it remains to be seen if the delivery service takes a significant hit in its subscriber base as a result.